


Some Dances in Harrogate - My Funny Valentine (part 2)

by ncruuk



Series: Some Dances in Harrogate [4]
Category: Last Tango In Halifax
Genre: F/F, Family, No Angst, No Spoilers, Passion & Perfection (P&P) Challenge: Valentines Day (2013), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 06:10:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4735418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncruuk/pseuds/ncruuk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate and Caroline's first Valentine's Day requires just a little bit of planning... (part 2)</p><p>Two part story, posted as two separate works to allow for story to be included chronologically correctly within my  'Some Dances in Harrogate' series.<br/>Series links provided for reading as part of the 'Some Dances in Harrogate' Series AND as a standalone.</p><p>Originally written for the P&P 2013 Valentines Day Challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Some Dances in Harrogate - My Funny Valentine (part 2)

**Author's Note:**

> **STORY CANON POINTS:** To make things work, I've decided Kate went to Cambridge University (to compliment Caroline's Oxford University pedigree) and William is now there himself. Lawrence is about 14 and in his last year before embarking on the two year GCSE courses (UK school years 10 and 11). John is still being brattish but the divorce is progressing to plan and very much 'off screen'. I assumed (based on the references to A Level exams, that the first series ended in June/July and that therefore, this story arc starts about 8 months later, in February no less. Furthermore, whilst I'm reasonably familiar with the 2nd and 3rd series, I will only be drawing on them where there is canon character development/information established that aligns with my story canon. AKA anything after series 1? Never happened!  
>  **DISCLAIMER:** Not mine. I promise I'm only borrowing them and will return them to their rightful owners whenever they ask for them back. My imagination took a flight of fancy.....my bank account stayed empty. (Not mine, no profit, just some day-dreaming I wrote down - everything belongs to the BBC and Sally Wainwright).  
>  **ARCHIVING:** Only with the permission of the author.

Exhausted and slightly hoarse, Caroline walked down the corridor towards her office, the final parents had been spoken to and the Year Ten Parents' Evening was officially finished. Earlier, although not that much earlier, she'd spotted Kate leave the school hall, clearly finished for the evening. It had been a long parents' evening at the end of a long fortnight of parents' evenings, with Lawrence's one feeling months ago, rather than just over a week ago. Making a final, work-related mental note to look at the sequencing of parents' evenings for next year in the morning, before she'd forgotten the torture of this year's cycle, Caroline entered her office and, shutting the door behind her, collapsed against it, finally 'off-duty' and therefore allowed to acknowledge the bone-deep weariness she'd been ignoring up until now.

"Hi." Immediately though, that weariness was forgotten as she found her second or even third wind as Kate's greeting, whilst welcome and familiar in terms of tone, with a hint of gentle humorousness infused with expected end of day weariness, was significantly quieter and hoarser than Caroline had expected.

"Does it hurt?" asked Caroline as, academic gown tossed over a chair, she crossed the room so she was standing in front of Kate who was leaning against the radiator, taking advantage of the residual warmth that still lingered in it from earlier in the day.

"No," whispered Kate before clarifying, "not when I'm whispering; talking properly hurts."

"Then stick to whispering," suggested Caroline, running her hand over Kate's forehead, "you don't feel like you've got a temperature...anything else hurt?"

"Not really, just generally sore," whispered Kate, reaching for Caroline's hand, hoping to encourage her girlfriend closer even if intellectually she knew she should probably be keeping her distance to minimise Caroline getting whatever bug she'd picked up... whilst and evening with Year Ten parents were tough, the list of known side effects didn't include dizziness and body aches.

"Soup and sleep then?" suggested Caroline, taking a step closer so that their joined hands rested easily between them without having to stretch their arms.

"Sounds nice...not very romantic," whispered Kate sadly, instinctively responding when Caroline gently coaxed her into a hug, Kate's throbbing head (which she hadn't admitted to) resting automatically on Caroline's shoulder.

"What's unromantic about having the girl of my dreams in my bed with me?"

"I'm sick..." mumbled Kate, only to have to cough, before grumpily adding, "...and getting sicker."

"And I'm in love as well as lust with you," reminded Caroline, taking advantage of their embrace to rest her hand inside the collar of Kate's shirt to feel the back of her neck and revise her earlier opinion about Kate's temperature - she definitely had one, "were you resting your head against the window?" she asked, conscious that Kate was fading fast as she began to become a deadweight in Caroline's arms.

"It was cool." Kate's mumble was almost indecipherable as she attempted to snuggle more deeply into Caroline's embrace, an attempt that failed spectacularly as all she was actually doing was leaning more fully on her girlfriend who nearly fell over before she managed to steady them both.

"You've got the flu darling," decided Caroline, shifting their combined weight so that she could lean Kate back against the radiator.

"No, just a cold..." protested Kate, reaching for Caroline again, only to frown when she failed, partly because her arm felt too heavy to lift but also because Caroline nimbly moved out of the way.

"Where's your bag?" asked Caroline, quickly moving around her office shutting down her computer and grabbing their coats.

"With yours," whispered Kate, closing her eyes in an attempt to lessen her headache.

"Come on then," encouraged Caroline a moment later, both bags on her shoulder and their two coats clasped in her hand, leaving her left side and arm free for Kate to lean against. Instinct told her not to bother trying to introduce Kate to her coat but use it as a blanket once they'd got to the car, "let's get you to bed."

"Mmm..." Caroline wasn't sure how Kate had meant that noise, which was somewhere between a moan and a groan, to be interpreted, but either way, Caroline met little resistance from her when she wrapped her arm around Kate's waist and started walking them across her office.

"My head hurts," whispered Kate as they slowly walked down the deserted corridor.

"I know," agreed Caroline, keeping their pace slow and steady so that Kate didn't get too exhausted too quickly.

"I'm sick."

"Yes, but that's okay, you'll get better."

"It's Valentine's Day."

"Yes it is."

"And I'm sick." Kate sounded so miserable, but Caroline couldn't work out whether it was the acknowledgement she was unwell or the fact that their Valentine's Day wasn't going to end with the traditional hearts and flowers that was causing the misery.

"But you'll get better," said Caroline amiably, easing them through the double doors that indicated they were past halfway towards the car.

"You need to take me to my place."

"Why?" Caroline had no intention of doing that, but a conversing Kate was an awake Kate who was walking towards the car...she had no idea what would happen if she had an argumentative Kate or a silent Kate, and didn't plan on finding out.

"Cos you'll get sick."

"Can you remember this morning?"

"Mmm...snuggles..." mumbled Kate, almost incoherently.  Caroline decided it was probably wrong on many levels to think that her girlfriend was cute and adorable when she was this sick.

"And do you remember last night? Complaining you had a sore throat from parents' evening?" Ten more strides, so thirty more of their little shuffling steps, and they'd be at the car.

"Honey n Lemon..." agreed Kate drowsily, her head landing on Caroline's shoulder as her exhaustion started to catch up again.

"You were already sick then."

"So?" Kate wasn't following what Caroline was saying.

"So if I'm going to get it I've already got it."

"Oh..." Caroline could almost hear Kate's brain turning as she carefully tried to work out what that meant whilst trying to concentrate on walking with Caroline towards the door. "Oops?" she finally concluded.

"No oops..." corrected Caroline gently, squeezing Kate's waist gently, "...wouldn't have it any other way."

"Am going to my place..." insisted Kate weakly as Caroline gently propped her up against the wall just inside the school door.

"No, you're not," corrected Caroline, standing in front of her and stroking her warm cheek before putting a finger on Kate's lips to stop her whispering interruptions, "because I love you and you're sick and there's only one place I want you to spend Valentine's Day."

"Not my place?" asked Kate carefully, trying to reach for Caroline's face but settling for her hip instead when her arm protested at having to lift that high.

"Not your place," confirmed Caroline quietly, smiling at her increasingly sleepy girlfriend who needed to get into a soft, warm bed, preferably with some soup and paracetamol inside her first.

"Where then?" Kate's head was starting to throb again, in fact, she could see two Caroline's if she blinked, which was nice...or not. Which one did she kiss?

"My place...don't move," instructed Caroline firmly, risking a quick kiss to Kate's lips before stepping away, leaving her propped firmly against the wall, "I'll just put the stuff in the car."

"Okay." Blinking, Kate was content to stay where she was leaning as she tried to work out which one of the two Caroline's she'd been looking at had kissed her, "Caroline?" she whispered, wondering where her girlfriend had gone.

"Yes?" The cold, crisp night was the sort that made you believe you could hear every pin drop and so Kate's whisper sounded loud as Caroline was just coming back in from the car, their stuff dumped on the back seat, passenger side door open ready for Kate.

"It's Valentine's Day..." repeated Kate, frowning.

"Yup," agreed Caroline, standing in front of her, ready to help her into the car.

"We had plans..."

"Still do..." said Caroline, pulling a pliable Kate into her arms ready to repeat the shuffle that had seen them find a reasonably steady walking position.

"But I'm sick."

"Your point?" Sticking with the winning strategy of a conversing Kate was a conscious and therefore ambulatory Kate, Caroline was content to keep the dialogue going as she started them walking the final steps to the car, reasonably confident that the moment she'd got Kate settled in the car she'd probably fall asleep.

"Plan's ruined."

"No it isn't." Caroline carefully guided them down the three steps at the main entrance.

"It isn't?" Kate was confused again, but then it wasn't taking much...where'd the second Caroline gone?

"The plan, as I remember it," began Caroline, arriving at the passenger door and preparing to help Kate climb in, "started with hot drinks and food at my place, which we're still doing." She turned Kate around so her back was facing the car, "then some not talking, which you're definitely still doing..." she teased, punctuating her comment with a playful tap on Kate's nose as she gently pushed her backwards so she was leaning against the seat, "...followed by a sleepover..." Caroline helped Kate push up so she was sitting on the elevated seat of the Jeep, "...which I predict is going to last for a few days..." she continued, helping Kate turn in the seat and hand her the seat belt which the drowsy linguist automatically started pulling on, "so the way I see it," she finished, stroking Kate's cheek again, before leaning in for a gentle kiss, "is that our plans work out just fine."

"I love you..." mumbled Kate, her heavy head resting against Caroline's forehead.

"I know you do, and I love you too," confirmed Caroline, cupping Kate's face with both hands partly out of loving instinct but also to help Kate back into the seat so she could close the door, after pressing another kiss to Kate's worryingly warm lips, "why don't you have a nap on the way home?" she suggested, preparing to close the door now Kate was out of its way.

"Okay." Kate's eyes were already shut by the time Caroline had the door closed, her body having no more strength to fight sleep with now Caroline wasn't keeping her awake. Making her way around the front of the car, Caroline paused to watch Kate sleeping in the seat as she pulled out her mobile phone.

"Lawrence? It's Mum...slight change of plan...yeah, I was right...she's got the flu ..."

Finishing her phone call with her son, Caroline got quietly into the driver's seat, marveling at how Kate, despite being half asleep reached out for her hand as she reached for the gear stick.

"Go back to sleep darling..." she encouraged as she turned the engine on and prepared to drive home.

"Happy Valentine's Day Caroline..." came the whispered response, Kate already fast asleep again by the time she'd said her name, bringing a smile to Caroline's face before she pulled out of the parking space.

"Happy Valentine's Day darling..." she whispered as she drove away from school, knowing she'd be back in far too few hours, probably after a disturbed night of sleep as Kate's fever hopefully peaked and broke. It wasn't what she'd have planned but somehow, for her first Valentine's Day in over twenty years, it still felt pretty perfect, after all, she was going to end the day with the girl of her dreams in her bed, and, as much as she hated to see said girl sick, somehow, that didn't matter one bit...after all, they could try again for the 'perfect' Valentine's Day next year and before that? Well, there was a whole year to practice...


End file.
